Army Capt held for abetting wife's suicide

Jammu: Twenty-three-year-old Captain Megha Razdan's death had sparked off a debate last year.

She was the second woman Army officer who had allegedly committed suicide.

Nine months later, police on Tuesday night arrested her husband, Captain Chaitanya Bhatwadekar of 113 Engineers regiment for abetting her suicide.

Captain Chaitanya had an extra-marital affair with a girl because of which there was a quarrel between them. That became the main cause of the suicide,” stated Jammu SPP Parminder Singh.

The case also took a bizarre turn when a month after Megha Razdan's death, Captain Bhatwadekar lodged an FIR that he had been kidnapped by unidentified men, and his tongue was chopped off.

Police now claim that the entire incident was staged to escape further investigation, something which he admitted during his narco-analysis test

“The girl is from Pune, we got to know that through the narco-analysis. Even otherwise, we have detailed call records,” Singh said.

Police say they do not have enough evidence to charge him with murder. Captain Bhatwadekar had been a suspect after injury marks were found on the body, and there was a typed unsigned suicide note.

The Army, meanwhile, is conducting a parallel court of inquiry in the case.

“We have approached the police authorities to provide us with certain important details that will assist us in completion of our court of inquiry,” said Defence Spokesperson Colonel S D Goswami.

Captain Razdan's mother says she is satisfied with the investigations so far, but the Army probe is still on.

Captain Chaityana has been sent to police custody till April 7.